The Billionaire's Intern (Maya Thompson) novel Chapter 419

Thufer 185 Raw and Unsteady 3

Chapter 185: Raw and Unsteady-3

Finally, his voice broke the stillness, low and careful. “How was your day?”

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Maya shifted slightly, unsure how to meet him through the silence. “Oh… uhmm. It was fine.”

Damien’s voice softened, quiet, almost a whisper. “Was it… too much for you?”

He wasn’t just asking about the lesson, but… her, all of her, and the fragile tension between them

Maya blinked, caught off guard. “Huh?”

Her chest tightened. Was he asking about the lesson? Or about… everything? Her heart skipped, and

she swallowed hard, feeling the weight behind his words-the unspoken tension, the misunderstanding, the fragility between them.

He stayed looking out over the garden. “The recoil. Was it… too much for you?”

She let out a small breath. “Oh… that. Well… at first, yes. It was a lot. But your mom helped. And… I think I handled it better than I expected.”

He exhaled again, slow and steady. Still facing the garden, still silent for a heartbeat longer. “Hmm

… I’m glad to hear that.”

She lingered behind him, chest tight, heart pounding, feeling both the vulnerability and the quiet

strength that had carried her through the day.

Another minute passed before Damien finally shifted, turning toward her.

Up close, the tension she’d sensed earlier was impossible to ignore. His jaw was set too tight, his

shoulders rigid-not with authority, but restraint. Like he was holding something back with sheer

force of will.

“Maya,” he said, then stopped.

He exhaled slowly, controlled, as if weighing each word.

“I’m sorry.”

The words landed quietly. No dramatics. No excuses.

Her chest tightened anyway.

“I should’ve talked to you sooner,” he continued. “I shouldn’t have assumed. Or decided things on my own and called it protection.” His gaze stayed on her face, steady, unflinching. “That was wrong.”

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Chapley 185 Raw and Unsteadly: 3

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At that moment, Maya saw it-the way he looked at her, the tone of his voice-it wasn’t just a crack in the armor. It was a total shattering. A phantom blow struck her chest, a sympathetic snap that

echoed deep within her own heart.

The Damien she knew was a force of nature: possessive, untouchable, an absolute power. But the man trembling before her was a stranger. He looked like a child standing amidst the wreckage of something precious, radiating a raw, jagged vulnerability that made his earlier confessions at the resort seem like mere practice. This wasn’t just emotion; it was a soul laid bare.

Maya’s fingers curled at her sides. She hadn’t expected this. Not so quickly. Not so plainly.

“Damien… I…”

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